Empty Gestures, Darth Vader Windows & Porches for Leprechauns

James Howard Kunstler thinks that most modern buildings are not really architecture, they’re just manufactured boxes. Whether it’s suburban houses, or retail stores, the buildings of our everyday environment send the message that we don’t care about ourselves or our surroundings. Kunstler tackles cartoon eateries, reflective glass office buildings, and otherwise good new urban buildings that lack proper ornamentation. We hear from a listener caller in Pittsburgh at the end of the show.

This week’s sponsor is Chelsea Green, publisher of Waiting on a Train by James McCommons, with forward by James Howard Kunstler. Waiting on a Train is a critical look at the embattled future of passenger rail service, told by a journalist who spent one year traveling across America by train in 2008. Look for “Waiting on a Train” at your local bookstore, or visit: http://chelseagreen.com.

Additional support for this program comes from PostPeakLiving.com Additional support for this podcast comes from PostPeakLiving.com, offering online courses that prepare you for a post-peak world. Find out more at:http://postpeakliving.com

“For those of you wanting a good overview of Kunstler’s thinking and for those of you that want to share JHK with others but may fear being embarrassed by the sometimes ‘salty’ language he can use, this book is a great tool. The format is, by design, conversational. You can digest it in small bites or in large pieces. And the Kunstler world through Duncan’s eyes is not necessarily sanitized, but it is communicated in a way that I think will reach a broader audience.”

“The 320-page New Society Publishers offering was just released in paperback and is based on four years of weekly Kunstler riffs recorded by podcasting journalist Duncan Crary. In his introduction to the book, Crary professes to be merely a host, and sometimes a Kunstler foil, but the two upstate New Yorkers really are kindred intellects.”